Kathie und Bill Merchant
River, hiking and mountain bike guides
Kathie and Bill Merchant are two endurance phenomena and have been working as wilderness guides for many years: Bill for over 30 years, with Kathie joining him in 2002. Whether on the river, on foot or by bike, whether in summer or snow biking in winter, they never seem to get tired and always have enough breath left to calmly show you and explain the wildlife and the surrounding nature, even on the most challenging trips. Another of their strengths is how much they tune in to their guests, so the trips will be a perfect fit for you! You can book them for groups of two or more, always exclusively, meaning no other participants.
And those of you who really want to push your fitness can join one of their special training camps to prepare for a 1,600-kilometer (1,000-mile) race.
Where they work
Map tiles are only loaded from OpenStreetMap (tile.openstreetmap.org) when you click.
Kathie and Bill Merchant offer hiking, river and mountain bike trips in Alaska for all fitness levels. In winter, one of their great passions is fatbike trips, ideally on the Iditarod Trail, famous for the sled dog race. This is also where they organize the toughest long-distance race on foot, by bike or on skis every year: the Iditarod Trail Invitational. It always starts one week before the Iditarod sled dog race and covers a distance of 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles). Beforehand, they offer a prep camp that you can join too, if this extreme ultra race interests you and you can picture yourself taking it on.
Their other trips mainly take place in Katmai National Park and the Brooks Range. They deliberately take only small groups so they can tailor each trip individually. That way they achieve what matters most to them: always getting the very best out of every trip for their guests. Two years ago, for example, Kathie and Bill made a lifelong dream come true for an older couple (both over 75) by using all their experience to make a float trip down the Alatna River possible for them.
Bill grew up in the Rocky Mountains and has worked as a professional river and mountain guide since 1979, which is over 35 years. That makes him the third generation of his family in the profession; his grandfather was a guide in the Florida Everglades. His training ranges from dog sled guide and ski instructor to hiking guide on foot, on horseback, by mountain bike and fatbike, all the way to kayak and rafting guide. Over the years he has run many camps of his own, including Alaska Sled Dog Adventures in Fairbanks. At 62, he's still fitter than many 35-year-olds.
Kathie grew up in the Alps, where she first discovered her fascination with nature and the mountains. Later came her love for Alaska, and for Bill. The outdoor-loving German moved to Alaska in 2002 and, so to speak, began her »guide apprenticeship« with Bill. Since then she has worked alongside him as a rafting, kayak, mountain bike and fatbike guide and runs the business side of things, making her his right hand and, for German-speaking guests, his perfect language complement.
These days Kathie and Bill spend the winter in Alaska and the summer partly in Alaska and partly in Utah. The two are true endurance machines, there's really no other way to put it. They have taken part in several 1,000-mile races, both on foot and on mountain bikes. Of course they don't expect their guests to have the same stamina; on the contrary, they fully tune in to your wishes. They're looking forward to crafting your adventure with you and then making it a reality!
Like all our other guides, you'll also find the two of them on all@sking and can contact them there. On their own website www.alaskawildnisreisen.de they have more interesting info about their trips and offers, so be sure to check it out.